Carol Stream Library Director Has No Doubts Her Firing was Personal

Carol Stream library director: 'No doubt this was personal'. (The Daily Herald, 7/27/2012)

Excerpt: In 2009, Wade ran on a slate with DeRango and Jeffrey in opposition to what they said were high library taxes and improper spending by Kennedy. Wade got elected that year, and DeRango and Jeffrey two years later.

“Once Mike Wade got on the board and when Jeffrey and DeRango got on the board, I knew this board would have different dynamics and there would be challenges ahead,” Kennedy said. “Sometimes I would say the sky was blue and they'd argue with me.”

Still, Kennedy said board President Rob Douglas served as a unifying force among the differing views until he stepped down this year to become a DuPage County circuit court judge.

“I knew my job was in jeopardy when Rob left,” Kennedy said. “I saw the writing on the wall when he stepped down.”

Board President Mike Wade praised at Conservatively Speaking blog.

Related posts:
Do-over:  Library board votes again to fire library director officially, legally.  (7/26/2012)
Philosophical realignment of the Carol Stream Public Library Board of Trustees.  (7/19/2012)

Do-Over: Carol Stream Library Board Votes Again to Fire Director Officially, Legally

Mike Wade, Library Overlord

Carol Stream fires library director in 4-2 vote. (The Daily Herald, 7/26/2012)

I suspect Ann Kennedy could have told him this had he asked.  Talk about "failure to communicate"! Board President Mike Wade called a revote after learning the board's original 3-1 vote that he was short a vote to fire Kennedy.

The action took place with the room packed with supporters of Ann Kennedy.

Interim Director and Head of Youth Services Mary Clemens makes her feelings clear.

Certainly doesn't sound like a vote of confidence for the library board's action.  What will Mike say?

One of the article comments notes that [a] grass roots organization is already at work to unseat the Board members who show open contempt for the library and who have already done such damage to the reputation and the daily operations of the library.

Related post:
Philosophical realignment of the Carol Stream Public Library Board of Trustees.  (7/19/2012)

Urban Libraries Council's 2012 Top Innovators, Operations: Brooklyn Public Library's Open Libraries Initiative

 LINK

Library news release

LINK

Related posts:

San Antonio Public Library's Building a Teen Nutrition Program.  (7/25/2012)

San Jose Public Library's Work Wise.  (7/25/2012)

New York/Brooklyn/Queens' Workforce1 Career Centers.  (7/25/2012)

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's Virtual Information Center. (7/25/2012)

Sacramento Public Library's 1 Street Press.  (7/25/2012)

Urban Libraries Council's 2012 Top Innovators/Health, Wellness & Safety: San Antonio's Public Library's Building a Teen Nutrition Program

LINK 

mySA blog announcement.

LINK

Related posts:

San Jose Public Library's Work Wise.  (7/26/2012)

New York/Brooklyn/Queens' Workforce1 Career Centers.  (7/25/2012)

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's Virtual Information Center. (7/25/2012)

Sacramento Public Library's 1 Street Press.  (7/25/2012)

Urban Libraries Council's 2012 Top Innovators/Education, Literacy & Lifelong Learning: San Jose Public Library's Work Wise

LINK 

San Jose Public Library news release

LINK

Related posts:

New York/Brooklyn/Queens' Workforce1 Career Centers.  (7/25/2012)

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's Virtual Information Center. (7/25/2012)

Sacramento Public Library's 1 Street Press.  (7/25/2012)

Urban Libraries Council 2012 Top Innovators, Economic & Workforce Development: Workforce1 Career Centers (New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Library)

 LINK

More information here.

LINK

Brooklyn Public Library honored as top innovator.  (6/27/2012)

Brooklyn Public Library:  Workforce1 Career Centers.

Related posts:

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's Virtual Information Center. (7/25/2012)

Sacramento Public Library's 1 Street Press.  (7/25/2012)

Urban Libraries Council 2012 Top Innovators, Collections: Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's Virtual Information Center

LINK

LINK

Related post:

Sacramento Public Library's 1 Street Press.  (7/25/2012)

Urban Libraries Council 2012 Top Innovators, Civic & Community Engagement: Sacramento Public Library's 1 Street Press

 LINK

Dillinger Movie @ the St. Joseph County Public Library

LINK

"Life of Pi", the Trailer

Opens in theaters on November 21, 2012.

First Look at Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’ Movie: Man & Tiger on a Boat. (Screenrant)

Book Review:  "Taming the Tiger".  (The New York Times, 7/7/2002)

Amazon

I'm probably in the 3-to-4-star range.  I listened to a Playaway audio version, more than four year ago since I was still working at Middleton, and thought the book seemed much longer than its 326 pages.

Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2012: 80th Assembly District

The old 80th

The new 80th

Public libraries in the 80th Assembly District

Barneveld Public Library

Belleville Public Library

Fitchburg Public Library (service area)

Monticello Public Library

Mount Horeb Public Library

New Glarus Public Library

Oregon Public Library

Verona Public Library

Due to redistricting, the current representative of the 80th District, Janis Ringhand, is running in the 45th.

Strict speaking then, an open seat.

However, the new boundaries of the 80th District contain a good chunk of the territory in the old 79th, which Sondy Pope-Roberts currently represents.  

For this reason, she is considered....

The de facto Democratic Incumbent

Biography.   Born Madison, April 27, 1950; widowed; one child. 

Graduate River Valley H.S.; attended Madison Area Technical College and Edgewood College. 

Former Associate Director of the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools. 

Member: Wis. Women in Government (bd. of dir.); Education Comn. of the States (commissioner); Natl. Caucus of Environmental Legislators; Honorary Life Member, Wis. Congress of Parents and Teachers. Fellow, Bowhay Institute, La Follette School, UW-Madison. Fellow, Flemming Institute, Center of Policy Alternatives. Oakhill Correctional Institute Advisory Bd.; State Superintendent’s Entrepreneurship Task Force (co-chp.). 

Elected to Assembly 2002; reelected since 2004.  Won in 2010 with 59% of vote.

The Republican Challenger

Tom Lamberson

About

Lamberson owns a home building business, according to a press release from his campaign Monday.

Lowering his sights.

The Democratic Challengers

Charles Uphoff

About. I have three children, five grandchildren and have had the opportunity to serve my community as a member and president of the Fitchburg City Council and a member of the Oregon School Board for nine years. 

I also served as a member of the Dane County Ethics Board and was coordinator of the Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Children and Families.

Also serves on The Madison Institute Board of Directors.

Joe Wineke

About.  [Note the old campaign photo.  Bold added.  Dates are from Wikipedia.] Joe’s roots run deep in the 80th Assembly District. Raised in a single parent family, Joe and his brothers attended a one-room school house in Fitchburg. From an early age Joe learned the value of hardwork – starting at the Mobil gas station in Verona when he was 14, he paid his way to earn a degree at UW-Madison. Joe, and his wife Debbie reside in Verona. They have three wonderful children and a golden retriever. 

Joe Wineke brings over 30 years of public and private sector experience to the race for the open 80th District. He served on the Verona City Council [1980-1983], was a member of the State Assembly for 10 years [1982-1993], won the election to replace Russ Feingold for the State Senate, where he served for six years [1993-1998], and was appointed by Governor Doyle to serve as the state’s chief labor negotiator in 2009. His private sector experience includes time as the political director for the Operating Engineers Local 139, executive director of the Construction Labor-Management Council, a realtor with First Weber Realtors and was the successful Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from 2005-2009.

Wisconsin Eye interview.


Related posts:
Assembly District 1.
Assembly District 2.
Assembly District 3.
Assembly District 4.
Assembly District 5.
Assembly District 6.
Assembly District 7.
Assembly District 8.
Assembly District 9.
Assembly District 10.
Assembly District 11.
Assembly District 12.
Assembly District 13.
Assembly District 14.
Assembly District 15.
Assembly District 16.
Assembly District 17.
Assembly District 18.
Assembly District 19.
Assembly District 20.
Assembly District 21.
Assembly District 22.
Assembly District 23.
Assembly District 24.
Assembly District 25.
Assembly District 26.
Assembly District 27.
Assembly District 28.
Assembly District 29.
Assembly District 30.
Assembly District 31.
Assembly District 32.
Assembly District 33.
Assembly District 34.
Assembly District 37.
Assembly District 39.
Assembly District 44.
Assembly District 45.
Assembly District 47.
Assembly District 49.
Assembly District 51.
Assembly District 53.
Assembly District 55.
Assembly District 56.
Assembly District 62.
Assembly District 65.
Assembly District 69.
Assembly District 70.
Assembly District 71.
Assembly District 78.
Assembly District 79.

Who Loves Eric Hovde? Gannett Wisconsin Media, I'm Guessin'

Gannett Wisconsin Media publishes the Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter, from a large section of the July 14, 2012, front page is reproduced below.

My home printer scans an area of 8 1/2 by 11 1/2 inches at a time, so I had to create two screenshots before transferring the total image to this blogpost.

The banner headline, seemingly life-size photo, and first few paragraphs of the article take up nearly half the front page..  How many candidates get this much space the day after winning an election?

Needless to say, JoAnna and I reacted with jaw-dropping, eye-rolling amazement.

Musta been a slow-news Saturday.  (But it also makes me wonder if the front page is for sale.)

Jack Kerouac on U.S. Highway 6

I'd been poring over maps of the United States in Paterson for months, even reading books about the pioneers and savoring names like Platte and Cimarron and so on, and on the road-map was one long red line called Rout 6 that led from the tip of Cape Cod clear to Ely, Nevada, and there dipped down to Los Angeles.  I'll just stay on 6 all the way to Ely, Nevada, I said to myself and confidently started. 

U.S. 6:  The Grand Army of the  Republic Highway 

Having grown up in Warren, Pennsylvania, I admit to a certain bias here, but you're not likely to find a more beautiful stretch of highway in the U.S. than U.S. 6 across northern Pennsylvania.

U.S. 6 follows the Allegheny River as it cuts through Warren.

The lookout is still there.

I have slides from trips I made along this stretch of highway in the mid-1970s, traveling between Warren, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Massachusetts, but they need to be digitized. 

Related posts:

Jack Kerouac on Dean Moriarty's skills as a parking lot attendant.  (7/23/2012)

Dean Moriarty, library regular.  (7/21/2012)

Not Having Your Meeting Room Policy in Compliance with the Law Could Be Expensive

Seaside Library changing policy following lawsuit. (Seaside Signal, 7/18/2012)

Excerpt: [with emphasis added]  Religious ceremonies may soon be held at the Seaside Public Library following a ruling by a federal court judge over the library’s policy prohibiting use of the library room’s for religious meetings. 

U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman ordered the Seaside Library to pay $10,500 to the Florida-based nonprofit Library Counsel as well as court and attorney fees following his June 6 decision over a lawsuit filed in February by the Florida-based non-profit Liberty Council Counsel.

Among other activities, the Liberty Counsel takes a watchdog interest in publicly funded libraries that prohibit the use of their meeting rooms for religious meetings.  (As does the Alliance Defending Freedom, formerly known as the Alliance Defense Fund.)

Some other examples:

August 30, 2005.  Liberty Counsel filed suit against the Newton Falls Library Board of Trustees after its application to use the Newton Falls Public Library Meeting Room was denied when library officials deemed the subject of traditional marriage to be "controversial."

June 16, 2005 .  Liberty Counsel filed suit against the Rampart Library District Board of Trustees after its application to use the Woodland Park Library Community Room was denied.

April 10, 2000.  Christopher A. PFEIFER, Plaintiff,v.CITY OF WEST ALLIS, Defendant.  United States District Court, E.D. Wisconsin.  Plaintiff Christopher A. Pfeifer brings this action under 42 U.S.C. � 1983 to challenge the refusal of defendant City of West Allis to permit him to use a meeting room in the public library ("Library") to present a program on creationism.

Wisconsin Public Library Policy Resources

In the March 2011 issue of Trustee Tale, Winnefox Library System Assistant Director Mark Arend provides specific examples of "reasonable time, place, and manner regulations" regarding meeting room use.

Related posts/articles:

Oregon public library challenged on meeting room use policy.  (RGD, 3/21/2012)
"Blood Money" @ the Marathon County Public Library.  (RGD, 3/31/2011)
"Blood Money, library meeting room use, and charges of censorship.  (RGD, 3/29/2011)

Alliance Defense Fund challenges New Jersey library's meeting room policy. (RGD, 9/24/2010)

Court strikes down Contra Costa's worship ban.  (American Libraries, 6/24/2009)

Climate Change Results in Coast Guard's "Unprecedented" Deployment to North Shore of Alaska

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LINK

Page ES-1.   The melting sea ice has resulted in the opening of new navigable waterways and uses for these waterways, as well as the increased desire to explore further below the seabed for natural resources. The increased levels of human activity in the Arctic will result in a substantial increase in maritime activities during the summer of 2012. To fulfill its mandated missions in the Arctic, the Coast Guard needs to plan for and respond to these anticipated changes.

Page 1-1.Vessel activity in the Arctic has increased with the retreating sea ice and includes a broad range of vessels including 

• icebreakers, 
• research, 
• oil industry, 
• ore carriers, 
• coastal resupply, 
• cruise ships, 
• recreational/adventurer vessels, and 
• state commercial fishing. 

With increased traffic comes an increased potential for 

• search and rescue, 
• water pollution, 
• illegal fishing, and 
• infringement on the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone

What a Way to Celebrate 100 Years of Library Service

Pomona library to streamline services, reconfigure floor plan. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 7/23/2012)

Excerpt: Pomona City Council members directed city administrators to find a way to avoid the closure and they in turn came up with about $400,000 to operate the library for the entire 2012-2013 fiscal year. 

This has prompted resident, business people and others to work on strategies to raise money for the library. 

The limited funds will require having a smaller staff consisting of hourly employees, Guter said. 

In turn the smaller staff requires consolidating library services on the main floor and its configuration must be more user friendly for both patrons and employees, he said. <

Along with several library directors from across the region, Guter walked the library with a library space planner to identify ways of consolidating operations. 

A final report from the planner will be used to create a plan for library services that could be presented to city leaders later this month, he said.

Related posts:
Keeping up with the Pomona Public Library.  (7/8/2012)
The Pomona Public Library gets a reprieve from the city council. 6/27/2012)
Best blog name ever (?) and more on the Pomona Public Library.  (6/22/2012)
David Allen is now a card-carrying Pomona Public Library supporter.  6/22/2012)
Vote to close Pomona library postponed to June 25.  (6/22/2012)
Pomona library bears brunt of layoffs.  (6/14/2012)

"As Easy as Buying a Book on Amazon"

3,000 rounds of handgun ammunition

3,000 rounds for an assault rifle

350 shotgun shells

Suspect Bought Large Stockpile of Rounds Online. (The New York Times, 7/22/2012)

Excerpt: Unhindered by federal background checks or government oversight, the 24-year-old man accused of killing a dozen people inside a Colorado movie theater was able to build what the police called a 6,000-round arsenal legally and easily over the Internet, exploiting what critics call a virtual absence of any laws regulating ammunition sales.

LINK